The Otherworlds Chronicles II - We Are Not The Only Ones
by TitaHightopp05
Summary: TOC II: Wonderland. Three years have passed by since Alice came back to Underland after four years in her world. Three years since she and the Hatter got married. Two years since their son was born. Life seems perfect, until after a violent rainstorm, while the Hatter is checking in the woods he finds a familiar blue paper hat. Based on ATtLG mixed with my previous FanFictions.
1. Rainstorm

**Ahh, it's been a long time, but (unfortunately) I'm still at work! Here I introduce you this kind of "Not The Last One", "Suffering", "Golden Band", "Feverish Mood", etc. sequel, which will be based on ATtLG 2016. Yes the title sounds original compared to my first Fic's, but I assure it will be a lot better of "Not The Last One", which I think I'll re-write.  
**

 **The first chapter takes place the day before the Hatter finds his first hat. I'll be very happy if you'll spend 30 seconds on a review :)).**

 **Here I only own little Thomas.**

 **-We Are Not The Only Ones-**

 **Fanfiction by TitaHightopp05**

 **Based on James Bobin's "Alice Through the Looking Glass" (2016)**

 **Chapter 1 – Rainstorm**

It was a difficult thing for him to do, sleeping during a violent rainstorm. He could have stood there, watching the raindrops being moved here and there by the wind and listening to their crashing on the roof and against the window's glass, all night long. Suddenly everything lighted up as a lightning broke through the sky followed seconds later by a muffled thunder: he chuckled in excitement.

"Tarrant? What are you doing awake?" Alice muttered sleepy, stretching beneath the blanket.

"Can't sleep" he said grinning and barely turning around to face her.

"Oh, right" she turned on her side so he faced her back "I forgot you love storms more than laying in bed with your wife" she pretended to fall back asleep, instead she listened carefully to his movements. She felt the blanket being moved and the mattress arch under his weight with every movement he did to come closer, then the part of the blanket covering her back was gone and she inspired sharply as the cool air hit her warm body.

Tarrant leaned in and started to slowly unbutton the back buttons of her nightgown, stopping at each to kiss the just exposed soft skin and muttered against her: "You know that's not true…"

Alice moaned in bliss: "Please, keep going…"

He obeyed and kissed all the way down her spine, his expert lips leaving a delightfully burning path along her back, she gasped and shot her eyes open when she felt his tongue trace its way up again: "Did yeh like et, Ahlice?"

"Very much" she sighed.

He slid a hand under her opened garment and bared her shoulder, covering it with hot passionate kisses and bites earning loving moans: "Say yehr serry"

"For what?" she turned a little against him. The Hatter shook his head and locked their legs together doing the same with her hands and one of his, so she could not move when with his free one he started to tickle her hard enough to make her gasp for air: "S-stop! Please! Tarrant, I can't breathe!" she laughed "Alright! Alright! I'll a-apologize!". He gave her a pause and she inspired a great amount of air: "I, Alice Hightopp, am sorry for doubting my husband's faith to me".

"That's bette'" he released his grip on her, and Alice turned to kiss his lips, she slipped her tongue against his and he groaned deeply. In that moment she knew she had distracted him: she swung a leg over his hip and pushed with all her might to finally have him, much to Tarrant's surprise and pleasure, laying under herself as she sat on his lap, the top of her nightgown slid off just far enough for... . Chuckling he pulled her a little forward by placing his hands behind her knees: "Oh, news o' the night: Ahlice Hightopp jealous o' ah rainstorm!"

He saw Alice thoughtful: she had noticed his desire. She rocked her hips onwards and backwards in a fluid and slow enough movement for his breath to itch and for his head to fall backwards as a low groan came out from his throat again.

She giggled mischievously: "Have I discovered a way to shut you up?"

"An' ah pleasant way teh!"

She smirked: "Would you like me to keep going?"

"Aye"

She lifted from his lap and stood on her palms and knees above him: "Then say you're sorry"

He traced all his way up her arms with his hands and sighed when he reached her shoulders: "Ah, Tarran' Hightopp, ahm serry fehr thinkin' poor o' mah wife's faith the meh. Now tha' we're even…", with that he pulled her down to kiss her so heatedly she gasped, while a very loud thunder outside made the glasses shake. They didn't care that much, too lost in each other's embrace, which however was soon broken by a terrified cry.

"MAAMAA!"

Alice gasped, without a word she sneaked from underneath her husband and once on her feet she pulled her nightgown up trying to ensure as much buttons as possible while running into the room that was just next to theirs, where her 2 years old son was standing holding the bars of the crib that kept him from falling with a hand while the other was extended through them towards his mother, large hot tears dripping off his puffy cheeks.

"Thomas, darling" said Alice picking him up; the child wrapped his arms around her neck for dear life and she held him close leaning her head against his: "That thunder scared you, didn't it?"

He gave a weak nod and slumped back in his desperate sobs.

Alice held him tighter and shifted her mouth closer to his hear, whispering: "Hush now, it's alright, nothing happened: it was just a great crash, we're safe. Let's go to daddy now, shall we?"

Right then Tarrant ran into the room: he had dressed up again, still his nightshirt was buttoned wrong for he had missed a button somewhere: "What happened?"

Alice rocked the child gently: "Seems we are a little afraid of the storm here"

"Oh, is that all?" the Hatter chuckled scratching Thomas' hair with a hand: "There's nothing to be afraid of my dear child! Come, let me show you" he waved Alice to follow him back in their bedroom, where he pulled the curtains of the biggest window open to show his son the heavy rain. As she came closer he encircled his wife with an arm and pulled her to him; Thomas watched the storm in both fear and wonder. Another lightning and he buried his face in Alice's shoulder: before the crash could come she protectively covered his ears. When the sound subsisted Tarrant tapped his shoulder to get his attention: "I find it rather funny watching rainstorms, you know? It's just a silly fight taking place!"

"Fight?" Tommy whimpered.

"Yes, fight: Sun against the Rainclouds! " he pointed the bed "Everyone under the blankets, it's Story Time!"

"Yippee!" the child yelled nearly falling from his mother's grip.

Once they were ready, the Hatter stood before them near the bed and assumed a serious and solemn tone: "Before night and rain came in Underland, the Sun shown upon everything, all by himself: it was eternally morning and people worked all day, they didn't even take a break to have tea!" he slapped a hand to his forehead, eyes wide in disgust making Alice and Thomas laugh (he seemed to have forgotten the storm). "However, after a long time they all, started to feel very tired, but no one could sleep, for the Sun shown much too brightly. One day a huge silver sphere raised from the horizon, she wore a very long and very large dark and shiny cape-"

"Was that the Moon along with the night?" Alice asked.

"Mummy sshh!" Thomas brought a finger to his lips asking Alice to keep silent, then giggled.

"Mum was right, Tommy: the Moon said that she brought sleep, dreams, silence and dark in her mantle and that Sun could go to rest as well as people could when she was in the sky; she would have occupied it for half of the entire day, the other half she would have left space to the Sun. This exchange went on for many months, during the which the Sun fell in love with the Moon: during the day he would look at the sleeping celestial body, during the night he would sometimes spy her from behind the mountain; but sleep wasn't enough for people: soon the harvest became dry for lack of water and they had nothing neither to eat nor to drink, so guess who came to save them and brought least the tea back?"

"Wain!" Tommy yelled.

"Close, boy, but not right. Before the rain came the rain clouds"

"Can you say it, Thomas? Clouds?" Alice asked, the child stared at her and she smiled at the yellow sparks in his eyes, "Clouds?"

"Clows" he muttered.

Alice kissed his head: "Good lad!"

Tarrant continued his story: "Yes! Clows! Or, whatever… any way, wait, would you imagine Tea Clouds? That would be heaven! Thackery and Mally would stay out during the entire storm! I don't know what I would do if a Tea Storm came, maybe I would put out of the house a giant cup for the tea to pour in, or-"

"Hatter!"

"Stowy!"

"Ah, sorry…I'm fine… anyway: the Clouds came on a cold night: the Moon welcomed them because they kept her warm, but the Sun didn't! They covered her all night long and he could not see her, during the day he couldn't also see her for they were covering his vision and once he got so furious that he could have seemed even madder than me! He made yells that were much similar to roars and crashes sending flashes of light through them and they did nothing more than try to fight tears back, they eventually let them go and a wonderful lot of rain fell on the earth".

"Daww, poor clouds…" crooned Alice.

"Poow" repeated Thomas, then he yawned.

Tarrant crossed his arms: "I swear, if you two interrupt once more you'll get no tea tomorrow!"

"Sorry, Tarrant"

"Well, they cried so much" he waved his arms to form a large invisible circle around him "that lakes and seas returned to be as filled as they were before, and the dirt of the fields wasn't dry and sterile as it was before: people could now grow plants for them and their animals. The Moon calmed them down, the Clouds learned not to be so invasive, but sometimes they were so many that the Sun couldn't help to get angry about not being able to see his beloved, but most of the times everything ended up well, and they lived happily ever after. The. End!" Tarrant ended his story with a proud smirk.

"It worked…" Alice whispered and looked down at the little Thomas who was peacefully sleeping against her stomach. While she pressed him against her chest to slip further under the blankets she asked: "What about the wind? Where does it come from?"

His smile turned sad as he climbed under the sheets too, he sat on the bed, his gaze traveled far away: "Thus are teh uns who are neht wit' us anymore… whispering thin'… help yeh. Push teh clouds away" his vision blurred.

Alice leaned forward and took one of his hands in hers and smiled sadly at his deep blue eyes. He sighed, then laid down facing the ceiling a tear slid down his cheek in the process and she caught it with the back of her index. Thomas choose that moment to stir and turn to face his father.

"Aww- just come here you two!" he turned and enveloped mother and son in his arms "Mm.. m-my family…" he muttered.

"Also starts with letter M?" she asked playfully.

"Now, Alice, don't be silly: 'my' and 'mine' start with M; but family is an F word, like faith, fool, foal, feel, fever, figure, fan,-"

"Hatter!"

"… I'm fine…" after a moment his eyebrows lifted and he chuckled: "Fine!". She laughed, his eyes got lost in her beauty: "Fair too…"

"And Fairfarren-" she yawned "Goodnight, love". She closed her eyes to drift off: last thing she felt were his warm lips on her knuckles and his voice repeating 'Fairfarren, my love', while the violent storm was being gently pushed away by the wind.

The Hatter marveled down at his wife and son a little more, until a great hint of wind echoed against the window's glass making it shudder slightly: he smiled. Before joining Alice into the Palace of Dreams he shifted Thomas' curls from his forehead to place a kiss there. How he loved rainstorms!


	2. Gray Shaded Eyes

**It took forever. And it wasn't writer's block, it was simple laziness. Maybe 'Labyrinth' and David Bowie are to blame too. I'm sorry. So sorry. Please forgive me. I hope that you will enjoy the lenght and the content.**

 _ **Chapter 2 – Gray Shaded Eyes**_

While Tarrant loved the action of the storm, Alice liked the rests of it: she sat on the bench under the porch of the top hat shaped house in the early morning that followed with a cup of Earl Gray Tea, a robe covering her nightgown.

It was chilly outside, even if the sun had won upon the rain. There was a thin fog blurring the sight and a pleasant wet note in the air; some trees were rhythmically dripping water adding the perfect soundtrack to the atmosphere, along with the steps descending the wooden stairs back inside the house.

"Where could mommy be, Tom? Not in the kitchen, I think we should call her, shouldn't we?"

"Momma?" her child's tiny voice followed the Hatter's.

She smiled to herself thinking just how cute their child was, she sipped the last drop of tea that was still in the cup then got up and knocked at the closed door, trying to see inside through the colored glass.

"Who are you?"

She heard Tarrant laugh so hard that she decided to come in by herself, her husband stood with his back leaned against the kitchen door lost in a nervous and insane fit of giggles which seemed to have infected Thomas too. Alice approached getting the child that Tarrant was holding in her arms afraid that in his actual state he could have dropped him. Anyway he managed to speak: "I absolutely have to tell this to Absolem!"

Alice stopped holding back and joined in the laughter, kissing Thomas cheek she said: "You'll make him proud my little Hightopp. How about some breakfast?"

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The carriage ride to Marmoreal was a joyful one, for Tommy had learned how to say 'bobbin' and the Hatter had spent the rest of the journey beaming at him and trying to get other hats related words out of him.

When they arrived the castle the group of their animal friends along with the White Queen approached: "Good morning Hatter, Alice-"

"Wee Tom!" yelled Thackery opening his arms wide waiting for the child to run to him, but instead of going to hug the Hare he passed by him trapping Nivens McTwisp in his chubby arms playing with his soft fur.

"Hold your fingers, young lad! P-please, you're spoiling my waistcoat!" Poor Nivens begged "Oh oh n-n-no! Let it be!"

"Bobbins" said Thomas reaching for his precious pocket watch.

"Help Alice! He's got it!"

As the Champion went to rescue the White Rabbit and his watch the Hatter, the White Queen and Bayard discussed: "We have a reason to believe that the violent storm and heavy rain last night might have ruined some trees in the Tugley Woods" explained the Hound.

Tarrant frowned at the Queen: "Majesty, I would gladly go on this trip but I've got orders planned for today…"

Mirana spoke with a graceful wave of her hand: "I would send some of my guards on patrol if it was a simple checking mission, but I need someone who can talk with to the trees today: they might be hurt if not… worse…" she brought a hand to her lips in worry.

The Hatter took her other gently and held it in both his palms, smiling: "As long as her Majesty won't miss my hats!"

The monarch's pale face lit up as she gratefully thanked the Hatter. Bayard barked to call Mally and Thackery who, shocked and disappointed, still hadn't closed his arms and they walked down the pearl white marble path to the Woods.

Nivens had sprinted to hide behind Mirana's gowns as soon as he was sent free from Thomas' grip: "Come McTwisp, he's just a child after all" she cooed at the infant Alice was holding and rubbed his still, surprisingly, hat free head.

"Where are they going?" asked Alice.

"Patrolling on my account, that won't take long" and with that Mirana twirled and waving goodbye she was off. The Champion would have followed if it wasn't for her son who had recognized a woman behind them and had reached for her.

"Auntie!"

Tean had changed through the years: her already long ginger hair had grown so much that if left free it reached her hips despite the waves it was full of and, even if the hair styles she wore still included braids, her typical pair of plaits falling on each shoulder had been left behind. _Time to grow up,_ as she used to say.

Her skin wasn't as pale as it used to be during the rebellion, it seemed that working outdoors did just right to her health, no matter if hers wasn't exactly a proper lady occupation. One wouldn't have told she was the Cavalry Horses Trainer in times of peace and Sergeant of Cavalry in times of war if she was seen in ballroom clothes. With her perfect posture, slender body, shoulders kept low and long neck, gentle and soft gests, Tean never seemed to have left the stage she had danced on for over fifteen years in her youth.

Sometimes Alice would even feel jealous of her sister-in-law's appearance.

She was wearing her white uniform jacket over a tight white blouse, an embroidered ascot fell in light waves on its front and was fixed with a simple white ribbon around her neck. It closed right upon the hollow of her throat with a little metal badge which had her grade insignia on (three V shaped signs one underneath the other and a thin tiara representing Mirana's on top of them*) and which matched the bigger one sewed on the left side of her breast.

As she walked fast towards Alice and Thomas the laces of her boots crashed against their leather, a thing she hated. Ignoring the annoying noise, she shot a pleasant smile to them and greeted: "Good morning Hightopps!"

"Lady Sergeant!" Alice joked putting a hand on her forehead imitating the military greeting. They had agreed not to greet each other that way, still, Alice found it funny.

Tean faked to laugh and proceeded in taking the carriage and the horse back to place mimicking Alice: "Lady Champion!". The redhead smiled at Thomas and added: "If looking for Agata she's with Miss Betty in her nursery".

"Oh thanks, I really need someone that could look after him today. Too much paper to sign and read and supervise" Alice said, with a finale snort.

"Sounds dreadfully boring" her sister-in-law stated as she finished to fix an eating bag on the carriage's horse snout and started to guide him away to the stables. "Why are you missing one today?"

Alice smiled: "Tarrant has gone out patrolling on Mirana's account. And yes, it really is boring. You know, not all women are so lucky to be able not to work sat behind a writing desk"

"Come now, look at the bright side of it: just wait a little while longer, until Tommy is a bit older and you'll be able to go back to your trips and voyages here and there" Tean smiled warmly "Besides, you have no idea how much sometimes I wish I could comfortably sit in an office doing nothing but writing my name at the bottom of a document!" she laughed bitterly.

The gray trail horse rubbed his head on her arm and whined like a puppy as if he had believed his mistress.

"There, Thunder, don't be a ruffian!" the woman stroked his forehead and brushed his forelock from his eyes. "Have a good day, Alice. Don't enjoy signing sheets of paper too much!" she shot the Champion a smile and laughed at the glare Alice shot her.

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The group had come back from the Woods a little while after midday.

Alice was in her husband's workshop putting to place the new arrived rolls of fabric. She knew that the Hatter didn't usually allow her to stay in that room for too long because of the poison filled air; but she had open the window to let clean air in. She should have waited for him before tiding his materials so he could have found them easily while working… but, again, today he wouldn't have had any time to reorder the colorful rolls for he would have had too many orders to fulfill.

She studied the fabrics by letting them slide between her fingers and observed the drawings sewed or simply painted on each. She just couldn't wait to go and choose them herself. Her work in Underland was similar to the one she had in Aboveground: she was at the head of the fabric trading company in Marmoreal. She would leave for no more than a week to visit villages and cities, decide who to set a trade with and bring to the castle the best fabrics and materials in the whole Underland.

Alice jumped upright when a violent blow of air, caused form the door opening, slammed the window close and blew several sketches and feathers from the desk. She turned and saw Tarrant standing on at the door, he wore a strange expression: he seemed to be shocked and exhausted together, his eyes wide and lifeless, his lips parted and a slight tremor was making his hands shake.

Alice hoped that the lighter shade running along some strands of his hair was just a trick the light was playing, as well as the gray one that his irises showed.

"Hatter what's wrong?"

He clenched his jacket right above his hearth and inspired sharply, as if doing so hurt him.

Alice run to him and held his shoulders: "Tarrant, are you unwell?!" her voice shook.

The Hatter's eyes wandered around a bit, while his breath slowed. When he made eye contact with her he nodded: "I'm alright now"

However, his eyes were still greyish green: "How about how were you earlier?" she asked.

Tarrant shook his head and tried to reassure her by smiling: "Does it matter? I'm fine, dearest"

Alice looked deep into his eyes. She lifted to his forehead to check his temperature but he chuckled and took her wrist and kiss it. "You are going straight to bed"

He groaned: "Ali-"

"Tarrant, that's all of it! I'm asking miss Betty if she can keep Thomas for some more time". As she stood she squeezed his hand gently and went away.

Along her way running through the pale marble corridor she met Bayard and Mally sat behind his head: "Alice! Weh must speak wit' yeh!".

"Please not now, Mally, I'm sorry. I have to bring Tarrant home"

"But-"

Too late, the Champion had already disappeared behind a corner: "Humph! I've never liked tha' girl's manners!" said the Dormouse.

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Later, hours after their arrival at home, Alice had given up trying to get Tarrant to rest. He had locked himself in study, she had knocked, call him, yell that she would have crashed the door if her hadn't opened by himself, but still he had ignored her.

Alice could hear Tarrant walk and talk to the wind inside the room; sign that he couldn't have not heard her yell. She walked away defeated, letting him calm down before trying an attack again: pulling him out using tea.

She adjusted a pair of pastries on a plate and put it on the tray along with two cups and a steaming teapot, she brought everything to wait in front of the study door with her. Slowly she lowered the handle, but it was still locked.

Annoyed, Alice put the tray on the coffee table back in the living room and quickly made it upstairs: under a pile of winter scarfs° she kept a jewelry box with the copies of all the keys of all he doors in the house. She took the one that opened Tarrant's workshop and went down again.

Facing that bloody wooden barrier again she started to speak, hoping her voice would hide the sound of the kay unlocking it: "Tarrant?"

His humming stopped.

She drew a breath and spoke with a shooting tone: "I know you could hear me earlier", she turned the kay slowly in the keyhole, "I'm sorry for raising my voice earlier, I should have left you work undisturbed".

The lock clicked, finally, but startling Alice. She hoped that in his current overreacting state it wouldn't have startled her husband.

"Listen, I brought us some tea, care to join me?" she hurried.

"Alice?" he had spoken this close to the door, as if he had placed his ear on it.

A sparkle of hope lit in Alice as she placed her hand on the dark wood as well: "Yes, Tarrant, it's me"

He opened the door and peaked out just to check: his eyes still that awful gray color, plus puffy and shiny as if he had just cried, however his cheeks showed no salty trails.

Alice swallowed hard: "May I come in?"

When she did she realized that something was really wrong with him: fabrics had been left unrolled everywhere and out of place, a thing he usually hated for it ruined them; a color bottle had been upset on the worktable, now rich orange drops were staining the floor producing a strong mercury smell that made her dizzy. She hurried to the window and spread it open inhaling a great amount of fresh air.

In the meanwhile the Hatter had proceeded to clean the mess on the floor. Alice noticed he was lost in his mind somewhere she didn't know. As he was knelt on the ground she lowered at his level patting his shoulder, his eyes closed and he sighed in what seemed to be relief: "What's the hatter with you today?"

Tarrant shook his head in defeat: "If I only could tell you"

"What won't you tell me?" Alice's heart was racing fast. What was happening to her Mad Hatter?

He nervously took her hands in his, desperate for contact, for an anchor in his mental storm. Her slender fingers curled around his work damaged ones made him feel already better: "Oh Alice, I will tell you. I promise, I will. I just… not now, I can't now- not ready"

"Alright, alright, not now". Alice squeezed his hands and caressed them with her thumbs and pulled them both to their feet.

She found herself trapped in his arms, "Sorry for worrying you, dear"

Returning the embrace she said: "Sorry for yelling at you"

"It was worth something" she kissed her head and buried his nose in her curls.

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In the evening Alice had gone back to Marmoreal to take Thomas home: just as her carriage exited the front gates of the castle she spotted Tean riding her horse back in the white courtyard, she had waved at her calling her name, for a moment she had even seemed intentioned to run after the carriage.

 _Strange_. Alice thought about Bayard and Mally when she had met them earlier that day: they too had wanted to talk with her. All three of them had been in the woods, the place where Tarrant had come back so distraught from.

Being careful not to wake her husband, who had finally managed to fall asleep, she got out from their bed to write a note and send it straight to the White Queen by slipping it through the mirror:

" _Urgent meeting tomorrow in the morning._

 _Everyone who went patrolling today must participate,_

 _along with Tean._

 _Something is terribly wrong with Tarrant._

 _Yours sincerely, Alice"_

 **A/N: *Based on the English military symbols. °I know that 'scarves' is used as well but, according to the site writingexplaining . org** **, the term 'scarfs' was more used before the XX century; here we still are in the XIX century so I thought it was more proper to use.**


	3. Blue Paper Hat

**Sorry again for the terrible lateness! *ducks not to be hit by a flying tea cup* But! The school is almost finished, I'll have more time to write and post, the fourth chapter is already Work in Progress.**

 **Did you notice the change in the title? Cool uh? (no, not really). I'm working on The Otherworlds Chronicles III where you'll find a surprising crossover... enough of this, let's go on with our story.**

 **Chapter 3 – Blue Paper Hat**

The meeting took place in the gardens of Marmoreal on a wonderful sunny day.

The White Queen was running the best she could manage without tripping on her dress along the intricate garden paths that ran between her cherry trees, which were starting to lose their flowers. Hopping behind her, McTwisp carrying some Oracolum-like rolls of old yellowed paper while she had her arms full of other similar stuff herself.

When the couple arrived everyone already sat at a round stone table; Mirana set there everything she had been holding and a white thing rolled along the table stopping right in front of Mally, who found herself face to face with a mannequin head. She yelled jumping back right at the center of the table, buried in a massive bunch of little fallen pink flowers.

Alice took the head rolling and upsetting it to read what was written on its scalp: Futterwacken, Horunvendush Day, Tea, Alice, Hats,… : "What strange version of Othello is this?"

Mirana took a seat sighing as Thackery amused himself by unrolling the parchments: "Those are old studies I never meant to exhume another time"

Tean unrolled a random parchment reading the title out loud: "'Peculiar Mercury Effects Upon Human Mind'? Now that's utterly creepy…" she said peering down farther at the text.

Mirana nodded in agreement: "I started them when the Hatter first got down the hill after your departure on the Frabjous Day, Alice" she gestured at the Champion to get her attention "Then you came back and he was fixed, so I put them away hoping not to need them again" she shook her head looking down slightly.

At this Mally lifted her hat pin sword leaning on it like it was a simple walking cane: "I don' think tha's the matter with teh Hatta"

"Or the matter of the Hatter" Tweedle Dee pointed out, gesturing with a feather pen and receiving an elbow in his side from his brother who added: "The former"

"No, the letter!" Tweedle Dum shrugged lifting his eyes up to the sky.

The White Queen rolled her eyes waving a hand and glaring at the twins: "Tweedles!"

They nodded but continued: "He's Mad!"

The Bandersnatch, annoyed by their nonsense, roared so loud that McTwisp was sent flying right into Thackery and the girls' hair went free.

"Oh, botherations Bandy!" yelled the red trying to put her massive mane back together.

Once the order was reestablished, Bayard took the word: "What Mally was referring to, was what happened in the woods a few days ago"

"What happened in the woods?" Alice asked frantically.

The Bloodhound continued: "There was a great storm: we ventured out in the Tugley Woods to investigate. The Hatter was perfectly 'hatterish', he even took a stick-"

"Ugh, teh see if there was somethin' underneath it!" Mally hurried to say.

The dog suddenly stopped waving his tail from side to side and cleared his throat: "Precisely. Until he found that," he talked slowly, carefully articulating every word "That blue paper hat somehow put him in mind his family's tragedy, slayed by the Jabberwocky on Horunvendush Day many years ago…"

"And he's just not himself anymore" whimpered Mally.

Tean had stopped browsing through the yellowish rolls of paper, slumping back on her stone stool. Some long buried memory raised from the back of her mind bringing hot tears to her eyes. Thoughts that had gone forgotten made her heart beat fast and kept words from exiting her lips.

 _He could have become a talented hatter. A pity he was that stubborn._

 _Don't speak of him in the past._

 _Even if he still breathes, he'll never be the same again! You have always been the strong twin!_

 _Means that didn't change me?_

 _Sergeant. Sergeant of Cavalry Tean Paula Hightopp Five._

"Sergeant?"

"Tean, is anything wrong?" Alice shook her shoulders lightly, her sister-in-law's eyes had gone a sick yellow-blue.

"…never the same… strong twin… sergeant!"

Alice frowned: "Tean wake up!"

The red shook her head, eyes again bright green, noticing everyone's attention had turned on her. She hid her embarrassing flushed face in her hands and blinked hard to push tears back. Her fingers travelled against her cheeks to pull her hair behind her ears, gaze still low; what would they have thought about her? What did that memory mean? First things first….

"A-a blue paper hat, you said?" she stuttered.

"All buttonly 'nd feathery!" Thackery said excitedly.

Mirana quirked and eyebrow at the woman she had in front, Alice shifted her gaze between the Queen and Tean and couldn't help but think that something was being kept from her: "Would you please care to explain yourselves?"

The soldier joined her hand in her lap and nodded: "Tarrant once told me something about that hat, Father had to do with it too but neither of them ever told me the whole story. Of one thing I'm sure: it was the motivation of the constant tension between them. We were so young, but from the day that hat appeared, Tarrant and Father have always been one against the other"

Alice let her eyes wander down to her curled hands leaned on the table, tears of rage and worry threatening to fall. She lifted her eyes for a brief moment to the sky above: "Why won't he talk to me?" she asked with a tight throat that held burning sobs back.

"O-oh dear," muttered McTwisp hopping near to her and hugging her arm and cuddling his fluffy head against it for comfort "There, don't leave yourself down like this"

"Yes, Champion Alice never gives up!" Mally added stepping closer.

Tean stood, took a clean handkerchief form her pocket and came to kneel beside Alice. Confused by her best friend's behavior, she closed a hand around her clenched ones and lifted her chin with the other: "My brother," she started to wipe tears the Champion hadn't noticed had fallen "Is a proud lad. And won't ask anybody for help until he has nothing else left to do." She sighed dropping her hand from her sister-in-law's face and looking in her eyes: "And he's stubborn. As a mule!" she smiled.

Alice smiled too, giggled even, picturing the long eared equine wearing her husband's hat.

Right then, just on a branch of the cherry tree that stood proudly behind the round table and extended its canopy above the scene, a bluish fog came together to form a grinning feline. Chessur stretched and yawned, waving gracefully his tail while paying attention at the last bits of Tean's speech. "Seems to be a hard family business…" he purred.

"Chess!" Mirana hissed.

But the cat continued: "I'd suggest Tean to go to see the Hatter, since she is part of his family. Maybe she could help us save him" he leaned his round face on his paws.

"Sound fair" the Tweedles said in a chorus.

The White Queen gestured towards the red: "If anything could bring the Hatter back, it would be seeing you again".

Tean stood looking at Alice, who returned the look: "Give a try, bring him back to me…".

She pressed her lips together and lowered her head in a single sharp nod, before venturing along the thin path that brought to the Hightopps' house, a hand squeezing Alice's shoulder, the other clenching the hilt of her sword in anxiety.

 **I'd like to thank all my followers for this story for their endless patience: Akumu Kagami, CharZLover, Girl-of-100-fandoms, Piplup13, SUZITROUBLE, ScorpioQueen96, The Daughter of santan, catlover123456789, cshreiber, ebj23, , pand Bunny 2.0, professor river yui potter, .5682, saashi samy, scaryanny, youngauron.**

 **I hope this chapter was worth waiting, R &R, I accept critics too.**


	4. A Family Buisness

**Desclaimer: This chapter is the most similar to the original film so far, but I DON'T OWN the Hatter, NOR ATtLG. I only OWN Tean.**

 **Chapter 4 – A Family Business**

Tean ran up the steps that brought her a few inches away from the front door, losing her eye focus a bit in the colors of the glass. She knocked loudly and waited.

"Goh away! Don't come in" he rang form inside.

She rolled her eyes: "Hatter it's me: Tean"

Sound of unlocking locks followed then the Hatter peered suspiciously out of the barely opened door.

She gasped at his sight, finally understanding Alice's worries: his vibrant red hair now tamed and pressed against his head, bright and glowing eyes now dull and darkened. No tool of his beloved trade to decorate his attire, a gray and black suit, so boring and terribly different compared to the usual mismatched choice of clothing that characterized her brother.

Her name whispered by his lips awakened her and she found herself held in his arms: "You are here!". She did her best to shake herself and hugged him back until he pulled away sharply, still holding her upper arms: "You are you, aren't you Feather?". With that his gloved hands were her face, Tean winced at the unfamiliar touch of smooth fabric on her cheeks; they travelled farther down, on her shoulders and arms then spun her around.

"Tarrant, it's me" she murmured finding her throat tight.

"Good" the Hatter looked around suspiciously as if he was afraid that someone was spying over them, then started to pull her inside "You're the only one…".

As Tean was hidden inside his hall he fretted to close the door again. The house seemed to be the same as always, everything at its place at first sight. Just… that annoying mercury scent… it wasn't so sickening the first time she had been there.

Tean turned to face her twin, noticing that his eyes were shining as he approached at her. "Tare?" she whispered laying a hand on his cheek and savoring its warmth. The Hatter's eyes flashed green for a moment before they closed and he breathed deeply. She smiled and brushed a curly ginger strand from his brow: "What's up with you Tarrant? You have been worrying heavens out of everyone lately…"

He blinked, eyes his usual green. _That's a step forward_ , Tean thought: "You have always been my favorite sibling, and the most sympathetic one of all towards me for the matter… and that's how I know you'll believe me"

"What should I believe?" she urged on.

"It' our family, Feather" he stepped away gesturing for her to follow and vanished into his workshop.

"Our family?"

"Yes! Our family: lost for many years" as he spoke he never stopped looking at the big family portrait that hung above his work table. It showed the whole Hightopp clan: Tarrant and herself were standing side by side on the extreme right with their father Zanik. Beside him, in the middle of the picture stood their mother Tyva, who had a column with a top over it in front of her, where the Hightopp name was gracefully carved. In front of the twins sat their aunt Fiona who held their youngest sister Jeanette on her lap, at the time she must have been no older than a year or so. At Tyva's left stood aunt Fiona's son, Allen and sat in front of him their older brother Ernan who had an arm around their younger sister Caileen.

"Or so I thought", Tean was snapped out of her contemplating trance by her twin crossing her way to delicately pick a small thing out of a little glass box: "Look! I found this!". He was holding out the paper blue hat they were all talking about, high enough for her to see it clearly: "It's the first hat I've ever made! I thought it was thrown away long, long ago. It was impossible for it to be here and yet… here it is" he paused to look closely at the hat: "And if this hat survived, our family must have too!".

Tean lifted her fingers as if to touch it, but he retrieved it jealously: "Hatt-"

"I thought I wasn't worth of the Hightopp name…" he threw a distant gaze at the picture, turned away from it and slowly made his way out of the room "Very serious man, my father…"

"Yes, I… I recall" Tean said, standing still in front of the frame, merely following him with her eyes.

The Hatter went on rambling: "We had a terrible fight. I never said I was sorry when I had the chance…. But this means I can make things right!"

Caught by surprise by his statement, she turned towards him. She swallowed hard: how to tell him how things worked gently? They had been through this so many times in the past… this matter would hurt him just as much as she was hurting now, hearing such ingenuous hopes. She thought that after all the time, the events that had passed he had finally given up, accepting that they were the only remaining Hightopps. His wedding with Alice, their son had only made things better: he had had back the family that had left him so long ago. Why was he letting himself get lost over again because of a little hat?

She shook her head: "Tarrant…" she went closer to him, she could almost feel him trembling with hope, "You see, our family…". She wasn't able to continue anymore: her voice choked in her throat, every word burning as it came out.

He looked at her in the eyes and frowned sadly: "You… **do** believe me, don't you Tean? Feather?", he pressed the hat against his chest.

"I desperately want to… but…" it was nothing but a whisper, how much was she hoping that he hadn't heard her? Unfortunately he did, shaking his head he stumbled backwards. She saw color drain from his face, some strands of his hair whitened as he heavily fell sat upon the nearest chair. "Tarrant?!" she followed his falling by holding his arm tight, she ended up on her knees in front of him: "You are not well! God, look at you! Is there anything we can do?" she put a reassuring hand on his knee.

He seemed to be deeply lost in thought, his index casually tapping his closed lips: "Of course…" his green eyes still held that light that she didn't like: lost, unfocused, confused, dreaming. " **My Alice** could bring my family back to me" there he was, choking on his own words as if Madness was struggling against Sanity to let them out.

Tean was close to tears now: did he even listen to what he was saying?!

"B-but Tarrant… the thing is… our family died. Long ago… don't you remember? All those years we spent together as the last ones of the Hightopp Clan?" She felt a tear roll along her face: "As much as I would love to see them one last time too, Tare… no one can bring them back."

He leaned closer, playing his last ace: "No one but her… I know she can, she will save them, she-"

"No!" Tarrant was taken aback by her sudden outburst "I'm so sorry… It is…", what she was going to say was absolutely against Underland's rules but- "It's impossible".

A dangerous frown crossed his features, his eyes rolled back in his head and when he opened them a second later they were as white as the strands in his hair, his brow furrowed. Tean shrank in fear and disbelief as she saw all of his anger turn against her and instantly realized with horror that her hand was wrapped around the hilt of her sword in defense.

"Yeh are not yeh!" he gripped her upper arm with crushing strength and forced her to stand along with him: he did not release his grip on her when he felt her wince in pain, did not stop when he heard her stumble behind him as he dragged her violently out of the door, did not listen when she called his name, begged him to calm down. All he heard himself say, engulfed by the Madness' fog, was a snap he would have later regretted: "I don't know who you are! You are not my twin, not my sister! All I need is my Alice… my Alice will believe me!"

He slammed the door in her face, not caring if she started banging it with her punches or shoulder, whatever, she would hurt later, not him. He did not open the door, not even after he heard her start sobbing. He felt lightheaded: he blindly searched for a support and found his desk. He found it hard to breath and had to stop for a few seconds before stumbling forward, towards the living room. He leaned against the wall, slid down and sat on the floor, a hand searching in his pocket until it fund the hat: he stared at it for a moment before he pressed it against his chest, just above his heart and started to sob himself.

 **Sorry if the lenght of the chapter isn't Worth the waiting, I promise I'll be quicker with the next chapters. Obv, reviews make me work even quicker!**

 **Little answer to the question you might have asked yourselves while reading: what's this 'Feather' thing? I thought of a nickname that Tarrant could have used when the were children, I haven't figured out a possible one for him (I think that simply 'Hatter' is still the best choice) but if you want to suggest something, write the nickname in a review :-))!**


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